New Development to Offer High-End Living for Students

A rendering of the proposed development between Coleman and Hunsaker St. on the west side of Chandler Road.

Tucked right in the middle of the already densely populated Chandler Crossings development in Bath Township, a 22 acre plot of land will soon be home to a new $80 million development with high-end student housing and retail space.

The development would create a core "main street" center in the area among the existing student housing complexes: The Village, The Landings, and The Club at Chandler Crossings.

"We feel just with the population in that area with the student housing plus the other residential in that area just creates the need for that core to be properly done," said Bob Schroeder, president of Mayberry Homes.

Schroeder said the apartments will be geared toward students and young professionals and each of the more than 400 units will have plush features and amenities, something he said they have to offer to remain competitive.

"It's a trend around the country toward more upscale housing," he said. "We feel we can offer the amenities, the street-scape we're going to have that no one else has, that sore of core heartbeat of the community."

Some of the stand-out amenities include roof-top swimming pools, indoor running tracks, granite counter-tops, along with a car wash and gas station that will offer exclusive discounts to residents.

This latest development will join The Lodges of East Lansing, The Residences and St. Anne Lofts in downtown East Lansing in offering upscale off-campus student housing, something Colin Cronin, with DTN Management, said could lead to a saturation in the market if student enrollment begins to dip.

"There could be a bubble coming to head here very soon," he said. "We keep hearing enrollment numbers increase each year but if MSU throttles back we could run into some problems."

Cronin said of the the 31 units in St. Anne Lofts, which DTN manages, all but one have been rented for the coming school year.

Meanwhile, Michigan State University is working to improved living experiences on campus.

Ray Gasser, the senior associate director with MSU campus housing said the university acknowledges the increased competition to woo students when it comes to upping the ante on housing.

"A lot of college towns are seeing this growing competition from the off-campus market," he said. "But we have a very good product that the off-campus market can't compete with."

The university has been working for the past few years on upgrading dorms and remodeling cafeterias in an effort to keep student on campus after their freshman year as students continue to demand a higher level of living.

"It's become more of a lifestyle issue than just simply a box around an apartment," Schroeder said.

The Chandler Crossings expansion is expected to be completed in the next two years. Pricing hasn't been announced yet.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.